Chapter 1: Hidden Conspirators
Malak made his way through the night skies over the deserts of the western lands. He was used to the sights of the desert by now; while he hadn’t made the flight frequently, he had done it enough times, and the path never changed. Between how high he was flying and the darkness caused by the dead of night, he could see very little; but it was enough to know the path.
He always traveled by night in the lands west of Al Kharid. And he always traveled in his bat form. The western lands weren’t accustomed to the sight of vampires; they were too ignorant to know how fearful they should be. Especially of Malak, a member of the nobility. Furthermore, if those he were associated with were caught dealing with a vampire, that could ruin their reputation. Malak didn’t care much of his acquaintance lost his power, but that power was something Malak needed as well. Malak was indeed powerful; just not all-powerful.
It wasn’t long before Malak reached the city of Lumbridge. He could already see a light on in the castle. He recognized that window. It was the one he always went towards. His partner was waiting. Malak flew into the window and transformed into his vampire form. As always, Duke Horacio was there to greet him.
“You’re messenger said you had something urgent to discuss,” Malak said.
“Indeed. Our plans have taken a turn for the worse,” the duke replied.
“I suspect the recipe didn’t work?”
“Yes and no. The recipe succeeded in partially reviving the Culinoromancer. Unfortunately, the circumstances prevented him from carrying out the assassinations as we wished.”
For a moment, Malak was not sure what to say. The revival of the Culinoromancer was only a partial revival, reducing his powers a great deal, but even in such a state, the Culinoromancer should have been more than a match for any beings this side of the Salve river. Especially the leaders who had shown up; those leaders had little to no fighting abilities whatsoever. “Where are the others? Why am I the only one here?”
“I requested their presence as well. But you know how stubborn they can be. I’m sure they’ll show, and I’ll relay the same message to them. Besides, us two are the most intelligent of the group, I’d say. Our decisions will likely be as good as anything the group could obtain.”
“Yes, that’s probably true. But the leaders, their fighting abilities are next to nothing. How could they defeat the Culinoromancer?”
“That’s the problem,” Horacia replied, “it wasn’t the leaders. It was a passerby adventurer.”
“A passerby you say? How could you possibly have let a passerby join in on your little ‘meeting’. The goal was to assassinate those so-called leaders at once to cause chaos in the leadership. There was no reason to get anyone else involved.”
“I know that… it wasn’t by choice. I gave my castle’s cook the task of cooking a simple meal, which I told him was of enormous complexity. It was really the partial revival recipe for the Culinoromancer. Unfortunately, the twit couldn’t even pull that off. Apparently, he asked some passerby to help with the simple task. As a result, my cook told the passerby to stay for the meal. He ended up defeating the Culinoromancer.”
“You’re telling me it was a human that defeated him? Even in his weakened form, that’s quite a surprise. Do you happen to know the name?”
“Yes, he was quite a braggart and let his reputation be well known. His name was Thyker.”
Malak snickered. He recognized the name. “Thyker you say? I’ve encountered him myself east of the Salve. He’s quite powerful… for a human. He even managed to defeat an old vampire of nobility when his weaknesses were exploited. That’s an impressive task.”
“Indeed, he is a powerful warrior. I’ve had my dealings with him,” a third voice said as a billow of black smoke appeared in the room. Such appearances had confused the two leaders before; now they didn’t even pay it a second mind. They knew who it was. A cloaked figure stepped out of the smoke. The cloak was made of a dark gray cloth they had never seen before… not on anyone but her, at least. The cloak looked as if it had been through hundreds of battles, though it was unlikely such damage occurred while she was wearing it. As always, she carried the strange, crooked staff.
“Please, Ansa, feel at home… take your hood off,” said Horacia. “But tell me, I’m curious; where exactly have you dealt with Thyker before.”
“Oh, I’m afraid that’s something I’d rather not discuss,” replied Ansa, removing the hood of the cloak to reveal her face. Horacio opened his mouth to discuss the situation but was stopped by Ansa. “Don’t worry about explaining the situation; I’m already aware of the happenings with the Culinoromancer.” That’s another thing that made Horacia nervous about Ansa; she seemed to know nearly everything.
“Yes, a tragic turn of events indeed,” replied the vampire.
“So, I assume the assassination attempt is canceled forever?” asked Ansa.
“Not quite,” replied Horacio. “The Culinoromancer isn’t quite defeated yet.”
“Oh?” replied the mysterious lady. “That’s good to hear, I was afraid I was going to have to change my part of the plan. Well, if that’s the case, I’ll be leaving now; that’s all I wanted to know. I’ll be in contact.”
“Wait!” said Horacio, “don’t you need to hear…” as Ansa disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
The two remaining leaders paused for a moment. Then Horacio asked, “Can you remember…” Malak shook his head. He didn’t need the rest of the question. For some unknown reason, neither could ever remember what Ansa’s face looked like. That was another thing that made him nervous about Ansa. Horacio knew as a human he was susceptible to magic. However, vampires were supposed to have great magical resistance. So either Ansa was indeed a very powerful magician or knew some other forms of trickery. Either way, it was unsettling. And the very fact that Ansa chose to hide her face from their knowledge made things even worse.
“I don’t trust her at all,” Malak eventually said.
“Yes, I know. But let’s face it. She’s a powerful ally. We can use her to our benefit for now. We’ll take care of her when the time comes.”
“You said you knew of some way to revive the Culinoromancer?”
“Oh, yes. I was about to say that to you when we were interrupted. See, the recipe given to my cook was only that of a partial revival of the Culinoromancer. As a result, when he was defeated, he wasn’t actually destroyed. The problem is, a partial revival will not work again. We’ll have to perform the full revival, and it will be very difficult to obtain all the necessary ingredients. Even for two persons as powerful as ourselves. Furthermore, we’ll have to kill Thyker first. He’s likely to go sticking his nose in our business again. It will be very difficult to perform the revival if he does.”
“Perhaps there’s a better way…” replied the vampire.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve dealt with this Thyker before, as have you. Surely you know he’s rather powerful. He also has a penchant for adventure. We could get him to gather the materials for us.”
“Theoretically that’s good. But he’s rather of a goodie-goodie. He’s not necessarily a perfect hero, but he would never assist in something this sinister. Especially not after being the one who destroyed the Culinoromancer.”
“Yes, this is true. But Thyker has a weakness. If you dangle the right reward in front of him, he’ll often do what you want without questioning why. We’ll never tell him why he’s gathering the ingredients; only that we want them.”
“That’s all good, but what reward could possibly be that enticing?”
“Heh,” replied the vampire, “don’t worry about that. Do you have a servant you could part with for a few weeks?”
“Indeed I do.” Horacio rang the bell in his room.
In a few minutes, a young boy came running in. “What can I do to please you, lord.”
“Look at me for a moment, child,” said Malak. Without thinking, the boy turned to look at Malak. It took him a few seconds to register that he was looking at a vampire. However, before he could react, it was too late. Malak’s eyes glowed in a bright red color. “Mind possession!” he shouted.
The boy slumped into a deep trance, still standing on his feet. Malak walked over and touched his hand to the boy’s head. “Boy, tomorrow morning, you will begin a journey scouring the countryside. You will seek out the adventurer known as Thyker. You are to deliver a message to him. Canifis is holding a tournament to determine the best human warrior alive. Any human may participate. Thyker’s presence has been specifically requested due to his exploits. You will tell him no further details related to this. When I release you, you will go to sleep; in the morning, you will begin your journey.”
Malak released his hand from the boy’s head. The boy immediately darted out of the room. “I’m afraid I must be going,” replied Malak. “I prefer to fly in the dark. Besides, I have some business to attend to in Canifis.”
Chapter 2: Taking the Bait
“Canafis is holding a tournament to determine the best human warrior alive. Any human may participate. Thyker’s presence has been specifically requested due to his exploits.” After completing that phrase, the boy just stood there. Again.
“Come on, you’ve said that like 8 times. If you need to say something else, say it; if not, then leave.” Nothing. “At least tell me you’re name.” Nothing. “Or who sent you.” Nothing. “So that’s all you have to say? How about telling me when the tournament is, at least?”
“Canafis is holding a tournament to determine the best human warrior alive. Any human may participate. Thyker’s presence has been specifically requested due to his exploits.” That made 9 times… or that’s what Thyker thought, at least.
To make matters worse, Thyker was presently in Ardgourne. While he’d been to Canifis many times, Ardgourne was a long distance away. And he had no clue when the tournament started. If he took too long, he could get there too late. That left him with only one option.
Thyker walked to the nearest bank he could find in Ardgourne. Luckily for him, the banks seemed all inter-connected somehow; what was given to one bank was miraculously obtainable from another bank. And they never got paid any money. Thyker had always thought it must be some kind of scam to run so efficiently; however, they’d never done any wrong to Thyker, so Thyker saw no reason to complain.
“Good day sir, how may I help you?” asked the Banker. Darn, he had forgotten to do it the quick way. Oh well, might as well go through the motions.
“I’d like to access my bank account, please.”
“Certainly, sir.” And with that, the banker brought forth all the possessions Thyker had stored in any bank. Amongst them, Thyker found what he needed; a small vial filled with a strange greenish fluid. The ectofial, it had been a gift from a friend on the ghost town of Port Phasmatys. The thought of a town filled with ghostly inhabitants put Thyker on edge, but given the option of missing the town or missing the tournament, Thyker’s decision was easy.
Thyker poured the greenish fluid onto the ground and was quickly sucked into it. He felt like he was being pulled through a greenish slime, but within a few second, he landed on solid ground outside of the ghost town. Thyker shivered. He hadn’t even brought he ghost-speaking amulet, so he had no means of communicating with the ghosts. Not that he really needed to. The only ghost in sight was Necrovarus; Thyker didn’t need to talk to him to know what he was thinking. Nor did he really want to. So he quickly refilled the fial and ran towards Canafis.
*****
In Canafis, near the pub, a puff of blackish smoke appeared. A figure clad in a battered, gray cloak holding a twisted staff stepped forward. She had felt Malak’s magic here. She was sure of it.
Understanding the most likely cause, she walked straight towards the bar. She scanned the room; not only with her eyes, but with her magical senses. She needed to find the location where the magic permeated from. It wasn’t very difficult; Malak had little ability to hide his magical traces, nor would he have likely tried, even if he could. She walked over to the right side of the pub, where a man sat at a table.
Sitting down at the table, she stated, “My name is Thyker.”
Immediately, the man launched into a speech about the legendary brothers of Mort’ton. She listened to everything he said, but the only information she could obtain was related to the brothers and their legendary armors. Of course; Malak tried to keep those under his Mind Possession from saying too much.
So, she stood up from the table without even saying goodbye. It’s not like the possessed man would have comprehended anything she said, anyway. She muttered to herself, “So, it seems like Malak is trying to tempt Thyker to obtain a piece of the legendary armors. But why would he bother? He knows that every set of armor was taken by someone long ago. There’s no way he could get a piece of the armor now. What’s his game?...” She pondered over it for several minutes. “Ah, of course… That must be it… Well, if that is his plan, I think I know a way to make things a little more interesting for all of us.” She knew where she had to go. If she predicted the course of events correctly, then she didn’t have much time. And with a puff of smoke, she left for where she needed to go.
*****
Thyker ran into the entrance to Canifis. The way there had been full of difficult terrain, but luckily, he was agile enough to get around these obstacles quickly. Thyker scanned the town. He didn’t notice anything different than normal. Either he had missed the tournament or he was days early. Either way, he had to know which. The good adventurer always knew that when information was needed, there was one place to go: the local bar, a nest for the local gossip.
Making his way to the bar, Thyker looked around for the one man he needed to talk to. The pub was a passageway of all gossip, and the bartender would speak to almost every person in the bar. He spotted Rovar near the counter.
“Hello there!” Thyker said.
“Greetings traveler. Welcome to the ‘Hair Of The Dog’ Tavern. What can I do for you?”
“I need some information on the tournament.”
“…Greetings traveler. Welcome to the ‘Hair Of The Dog’ Tavern. What can I do for you?”
“The tournament for humans.”
“…Greetings traveler. Welcome to the ‘Hair Of The Dog’ Tavern. What can I do for you?”
“Is that all you can say?”
“…Greetings traveler. Welcome to the ‘Hair Of The Dog’ Tavern. What can I do for you?”
“My name is Thyker! I was invited to take place in the tournament.”
“I’m afraid there is no tournament, pal” said a man sitting to the right side of the pub.
“What do you mean!!!!” Thyker shouted as he darted across the room. “What do you mean there’s no tournament?”
“Well, some punk has been spreading some rumor of a tournament. The bottom line is, most people in this town just don’t like humans. I guess he thought it would be a funny joke to bring lots of humans here.”
“Oh yeah… I forgot, you guys really don’t like humans. So, why are you talking to me?
“Well, we don’t all hate humans… just most of us. Anyway, I hate to have seen you come here for nothing, so I want to give you a little challenge.”
“Is this challenge like a quest?”
“Sort of. Have you heard of the legendary Mort’ton brothers?”
“Yes, Torag, Guthan, Verac, Ahrim, Karil, and Dharok. They’re mythical.”
“Oh, I guarantee you it’s no myth. Down south of the swamp, in the land of Mort’ton, there exists a barrow gravesite. They’re legendary armor still exists. Should you travel down there, you could get a piece of it for yourself.”
“That would be great. I’ve always admired the legends of Verac. See, I’m kind of a prayer-warrior myself…” The two continued to talk for nearly half an hour, as the man described directions to the gravesite, instructions on what to do there, and so forth. When Thyker had learned everything he needed, he left there in a great excitement. “I guarantee you, Thyker will get a piece of Verac’s armor!”
Unfortunately, Thyker didn’t stay long enough to hear the speech his last statement triggered. “I’m afraid there is no tournament, pal…”
Thyker ran to Canifis’s bank, obtaining the items he would need. A platebody made of runite, the strongest material built by man. Leggings and a square shield made of adamantine, nearly as strong as runite, though not quite. And his most prized possession: a short sword made of the mythical dragonite, a material not of this world. Having obtained what he needed, Thyker ran into the Mort Myre swamp, heading south to the barrows of Mort’ton.
As he left, Malak made his way into the pub and to the man at the right side, reciting a speech to nobody. “Silence,” Malak commanded. At that, the man went silent. “Tell me everything you heard…”
Chapter 3: Barrows and Barraging
Janrok made his way through the wilderness areas. He was deep; there was no doubt about that. But for Janrok, the more dangerous the wild, the better. In the wilderness, humans were not bound by the laws of man, and would kill each other simply to take their possessions. This was a practice Janrok did not appreciate. Janrok’s job was to stop as many as possible. He was an avenger.
As people got farther away from civilization, people seemed to become more cruel in who they would attack. That is why Janrok had to go into the deepest depths of the wild. Of course, he had an advantage. Janrok possessed the mythical armor of Karil, a set of gear would gave him incredible powers in the form of long-range weaponry. He had owned it for many years. Most people in the wild were aware of it. They would flee as soon as they saw him; it didn’t matter. Being an archer, he could take them out from a far distance.
Janrok made his way towards the icy plateau in front of him. He could see the Ice Warriors and Ice Giants in front of him. He stopped. Any closer and they might attack him. Not that he couldn’t handle them. But he might be injured in the process. Not to mention, he would waste precious ammo. Supplies were short in the wilderness. It was better to avoid unnecessary confrontations. Anyway, it didn’t look like anyone was on the plateau. Janrok turned away. He knew of a spot east of there full of red spiders. Bandits often plagued the area due to the fact that precious runite could be mined there. The bandits were particularly ruthless there. They wouldn’t even restrict themselves to one-on-one fighting.
As Janrok turned, he found himself face to face in a cloaked figure with a crooked staff. It startled him; he hadn’t heard the person at all.
“Who are you?” Janrok asked.
“Me? You can call me Ansa. I take it you are Janrok.” It was a girls voice. She didn’t say anything else.
“You’re well-informed. Do you have some business with me?”
“Yes,” she replied. “I want your armor. If you give it to me, you can live.” She took a step forward.
“You must be one of the person-killers that frequent this area! If so, I must take you down myself!” Janrok pulled forth his crossbow. “I have to admit, though, I’m surprised. I recognize those robes you’re wearing. Those are Ahrim’s robes. I can’t understand why you would need a second set of the mythical Mort’ton armor, but now you’ll get to see the power that Karil’s possesses.” Janrok quickly shot three crossbow bolts in rapid succession. Ansa didn’t move. As each bolt approached her, a shimmer of light appeared, and the bolts bounced away as if reflected by some unseen force field.
“Some kind of barrier! Well, then let’s try something a light stronger.” Janrok reached into his pouch and pulled out a special bolt. He placed it into the crossbow and it shimmered with light. “I’m sorry it has to come to this, but you should be flattered. I don’t have to waste such powerful bolts often.” Janrok unleashed the glowing bolt, but it too bounced off some unseen shield.
Janrok paused for a moment. “I see… You must know some prayer which can protect against attacks. But even such a prayer shouldn’t be able to completely reflect a power bolt. Still, if I’ve been schooled correctly, that prayer will only protect against long-distance attacks.” Janrok pulled out a dagger made of runite and charged at Ansa.
Ansa reached into a pouch at her side, pulled out somethings, and showed them to Janrok. Janrok recognized them instantly. Runestones. 4 death runes, 6 water runes, and 2 blood runes to be exact. “You should be flattered. I rarely come in person to kill someone.” Janrok stopped in confusion. Janrok had learned all modern arts of magic. Even being a ranger, such knowledge was necessary to survive in the wilderness. There were no spells that used that combination of runes. Had she just pulled out a random stash and hoped for the best? Then Janrok remembered a spell he had seen once. A long time ago. But she couldn’t possibly…
Janrok looked up. No, it couldn’t be. Dozens of ice crystals floating in the sky. Suddenly, they all came crashing down like lightning. The next thing Janrok knew, he was lying face down on the ground. It felt like a few ribs had been broken. He could feel blood, but he didn’t know where it was coming from. Janrok used his little remaining strength to sit up. He couldn’t stand.
Ansa had walked closer to Janrok and was holding the same combination of runes again. “I gave you a chance to live.”
Janrok put his hands together and looked towards the ground. “Please, oh merciful one, I beg for redemption.”
Ansa paused. “I’d like to give you it. But unfortunately, once I get started, I enjoy the fighting. I can’t stop now.” The runes began to disappear, as Janrok continued to mutter pleas. The ice crystals came crashing down in a similar fashion as before. When it was over, Janrok lay face down on the ground. Silent. “Pity he couldn’t have lived. He was good at groveling. Oh well, time to get what I came for.”
*****
Thyker walked into the land of Mort’ton. The land wreaked of death. It might have actually been worse than Port Phasmatys. Luckly, the man had given Thyker very specific directions; he didn’t want to talk to the undead inhabitants of the town. They didn’t seem quite dead, but they were almost… zombies.
It was long before Thyker found the ancient burial ground. The only sight worth seeing was a crazy old man tending the field. Normally, Thyker wouldn’t have talked to such a weird person, but it was the first truly alive person he had seen in a while. Besides, the gravedigger might have some kind of advice.
“Ahahahahahahaha,” cackled the old man. Thyker was taken back. He hadn’t even said anything yet. “I assume you’ve come here to rob the graves?” Thyker wasn’t sure what to say. When he put it that way, it almost made him feel guilty. Regardless, he gave the old man a nod. “Ha ha, I see. People go down into the ground, becomes a bigger grave. Here’s a shovel for you. Do what you want.” Thyker wanted to ask the old man questions, but thought better of it. Getting involved with crazy people usually makes your life worse.
Thyker searched around the field for a few minutes. Near the center, he found a huge mound of earth that looked like it had been dug through hundreds of times and subsequently buried over hundreds of times. Well, if the old man’s babbling had been true, this was probably the spot. Thyker stuck his shovel into the ground only to find that the earth gave way around him and dumped him into the grave.
Above ground, the hooded Ansa watched from the shadows of the barrows. Thyker had been too busy to notice her; of course, she was well hidden too, so that wasn’t necessarily his fault. Behind her stood a large demon. Any monster expert would have recognized it as one of the greater demons; for some reason, one of its horns was broken off.
“It appears you were right,” the demon stated. “He did come here. But will you tell me now… why did you go through the effort of getting those Karil robes for him?”
“Oh, it’s rather simple actually,” replied Ansa. “If he can’t survive the trial, then he’s too weak to be of use to me. And if he does survive, Malak will try to control him, and that armor will help me to destroy that control should I ever need to. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; I’m quite curious to see how he does.”
Thyker landed on a hard mound of earth below the field. Luckily, his falling-through had made a hole in the roof. He could see very little in the darkness; without the hole, he likely would have seen nothing at all.
“Choose what you would like. But beware the consequences,” boomed a voice.
Thyker looked around, but there was no one to be seen.
“Choose what you would like. But beware the consequences.”
“Ok, ok, I heard you,” Thyker said. Thyker saw a long table at the end of the room. On it lay one set of armor. He recognized it as the mythical Karil armor. “Well, some choice this is.”
“Choose what you would like. But beware the consequences.”
“Ok, ok, stop saying that. I heard you… yuck, I hate range.” Still, there weren’t many other options. Thyker touched the Karil armor, but as soon as he did, a figure solidified in it. He took several steps back in surprise.
“I am the ghost of Karil. Do you wish to possess my armor… my abilities?”
“Yes, sir, that is why I have come here.”
“To use this armor, you must prove your worth. You must accept a trial... a battle. Once you begin, there will be no going back. You either defeat me in battle, or you die in battle and join the rest who have failed down here. Are you sure you wish to accept this trial?”
Thyker thought about it for a minute. This did seem like an awfully big risk for a set of armor that would help him with a form of combat he didn’t like. Still, Karil was a ranger. Thyker was a meleer, so he had the natural advantage over Karil. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time he risked his life for fantastic treasures. “I accept.”
“Very well,” Karil said. “Then let us begin.” Without further waiting, Karil pulled out a bolt which glowed in the air. Thyker was surprised… he had never seen a bolt glow before. He was too far away to counter-attack… he would have to use strategy to get closer.
Karil launched the glowing bolt at Thyker. Thyker jump out of the way, but the bolt scorched through the earth and showered rocks towards him. It was a good thing Thyker decided to dodge that… had he stood still, he would have been sliced in two.
Karil quickly launched a second bolt at Thyker. He was off-balance from his previous dodge, but luckily, this bolt wasn't glowing. Thyker raised his shield, hoping this bolt wouldn’t have the same explosive effect as before. The bolt bounced harmlessly off the shield. Success!
Karil had no more bolts ready. This was Thyker’s chance! Thyker went to run forward, only to have the world spin around him. What was wrong with him?
Thyker tried to take another step. He felt nauseated. He thought he might throw up.
“What’s wrong?” Karil stated. “Is that the limit of your abilities?”
“What… what have you done to me!?!?”
“Yes, it’s one of the innate abilities I possess. My shots will cause confusion and loss of balance. Even a strike against your armor, such as the one that bounced off your shield is enough. I’m afraid that your agility is quite useless against me.”
Oh no! Thyker’s agility had won him many battles. Especially against rangers. If he couldn’t move quickly, he could very well die here. Thyker still had a chance though. The bolts didn’t seem capable of penetrating his shield. He might be able to move slowly and deflect the bolts with it.
Slowly, Thyker took another step forward. The world spun, but he kept his balance. Karil let off another shot from his crossbow, but it bounced off of his shield. Of course, by now, Thyker knew that the bounce wasn’t harmless.
Thyker took another step forward. This time the spinning was worse. Karil carelessly let off another shot. It bounced off Thyker’s shield. The world started to spin, even when he wasn’t moving.
“This is bad,” Thyker though. “I’m not sure if I can survive another hit like that, even against my shield.” Karil, possibly sensing this, let off another shot. Thyker jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, his agility was even worse than he thought. He dodged the bolt, but feel flat first on the ground in the process. His shield went sliding across the floor.
“Well, it appears your now both unable to move AND defenseless,” Karil said. “I think we should end this.” Karil reached into his pouch and pulled out another one of the glowing bolts. The one that could split Thyker in two. Thyker couldn’t move a muscle. If only he could get twenty seconds or so. Then he could recover and move again. Then he’s stand a chance.
“Karil, may I say a few last words?”
“No stalling,” Karil said. Drat, he was clever. Karil pointed the crossbow at Thyker, and the glowing bolt hurtled in the air toward him.
Chapter 4: Battle in the Barrows, Karil’s Continued Assault
“There’s no doubt about it,” thought Thyker, “that bolt’s going to land a direct hit.” Of course, he didn’t have much time to think about it; the bolt quickly struck him and created an explosion. The old dry dirt shot into the air, blocking out the view of Thyker for a full second or two. But the dirt quickly settled, and Thyker lay on his side. Bits of his armor had been seared off; several pieces of his skin had been burned. He was moving.
Karil took a few steps forward. It was hard to tell whether Thyker had been killed or not. Regardless, that bolt rack had made a direct hit. Even if he were alive now, he would be too severely injured to move. The fight was over.
Karil walked close to Thyker to view his condition. Scanning over the body, he looked where the armor had been demolished. He saw the char earth around him, and noticed a strange circle of earth that had been left undamaged inside the charred one. “Wait a minute,” thought Karil, “that’s not right. Unless he…”
Karil realized too late what had happened as Thyker lunged at Karil. Karil side-stepped the attack, but not fast enough. Thyker’s sword took a large slice of his right arm with it. The crossbow he held fell to the ground. His arm had gone limp, and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t move it. Karil considered himself lucky, though; had he not realized what had happened right before Thyker lunged, he would have taken a direct hit.
Unfortunately, Thyker didn’t fare much better. Karil had waited so long that some of the dizziness had warn off, but he still had poor control over his balance. Thyker was unable to land correctly, and hit the ground hard, rolling several feet farther after landing.
“I’ll give you credit,” Karil said, “that was quick thinking. Using your prayer to create a barrier against long-range attacks. Unfortunately for you, it appears you weren’t able to deflect it entirely.”
“Heh, I’ll admit, I’d rather have not been hit at all. But I’m feeling a lot better than had I been hit completely. Besides, I don’t think you’re one to talk. It looks like you can’t use your right arm anymore. I bet that crossbow is hard to aim one-handed… especially with your weak hand.” Thyker was putting on a tough front, but it was in large part a fraud. He had dearly hoped that lunge would have landed a fatal blow. Between the dizziness and the injuries he had sustained, he wasn’t sure if he could launch another attack. Still, taking out one arm was a great victory. Thyker had to take what he could get.
“You made a critical mistake Karil. You let your guard down and walked close to me. When you did that, you lost your advantage as a ranger.” Besides, Thyker had actually obtained two victories in that attack. He had been able to hurt Karil with his blade. That meant that Karil was tangible and could be hurt with conventional attacks. That may have seemed like a strange thing to be happy about, but such was not always the case in battle. Especially against ghosts. “And that mistake will cost you dearly,” Thyker continued as he use his sword to prop himself halfway to a standing position. He hoped Karil didn’t realize he could stand on his own.
“You put up a good fight. Let’s see how long it can continue,” Karil said, as he used his foot to kick his crossbow up to his left hand. Karil was holding several bolts in his teeth; Thyker wondered when they had gotten there; he hadn’t seen Karil touch any bolts recently. Using his teeth, Karil placed one of the bolts in the crossbow and aimed it. Karil shot at Thyker. It went straight towards his left knee.
Thyker dodged to the right. Of course, in his condition, it looked more like a fall to the right, but it did the job. Thyker had guessed correctly; with only one arm, Karil couldn’t shoot shots in rapid succession, nor could he aim as well. Thyker propped himself up with his sword again only to realize Karil had readied another bolt. As Karil shot it, Thyker realized he didn’t have enough time to dodge it. He moved his sword to deflect the bolt. Luckily, his sword successfully made contact; he was a good swordsman, but in his current condition, he wasn’t sure how well he could make contact with a moving target.
Unfortunately, the familiar dizziness spell followed the contact with his sword as the world spun around him. He couldn’t keep this up much longer; he would run out of luck before Karil ran out of bolts. It was then that Thyker realized he had moved one fall away from where his shield had landed. Not that it would do him much good; he had seen before how much his shield helped against Karil’s special abilities.
Despite that, Thyker had to do something quick. Karil was readying another bolt with his teeth. Thyker had a plan that could possibly work. He didn’t like the odds of it much, and if it failed, he would be finished; nonetheless, if he continued as he was now, he was finished anyway. Better to go with the bad odds than with no odds. Thyker tried to estimate the distance between him and Karil. It looked like about two or three long strides, though the spinning made it difficult to tell. Perfect.
Karil launched the bolt at Thyker. He performed another dodge/fall towards his shield, getting out of the way of the attack and getting his shield in one movement.
Karil chuckled. “Are you trying to defend yourself with that shield again? You saw how much good it did last time.” Karil dropped the crossbow and reached into his bolt pouch. He must have used up the bolts he had in his teeth. Perfect. This would probably be Thyker’s only chance.
Thyker pushed up from the ground with all his might. Somehow, he managed to get almost completely to his feet. However, the dizziness took hold again as the world spun. This time, Thyker spun with it, and when Karil was in front of him again, released his sword. Thyker’s dragonite sword spun through the air towards Karil. Karil appeared completely shocked; he must have never expected Thyker to use a ranged weapon of his own.
Karil barely managed to sidestep the attack, and retorted, “Did you honestly think that would hit me?” Unfortunately, the attack seemed to have distracted him from Thyker, who was already lunging at him, shield in front. Thyker’s feet left the ground as he jumped into the air towards Karil, still spinning.
“Guthix, give me strength… Ultimate Strength!” Thyker mumbled. He began to feel the strength of his muscles increase for a short burst. The top of the shield hit into Karil’s jaw, snapping his head back and launching him off the ground. Thyker landed face-down in the dirt; Karil landed a few feet back, face up.
Neither moved for about 10 minutes. Then, small movements could be seen from one of them. At first it was merely the twitch of a finger, and then it changed to the movement of legs. Karil slowly stood up. “Well, it appears this match is over,” he whispered. Thyker said nothing.
Chapter 5: Alliance of Convenience
Thyker and Karil lay on the ground. Neither moved for about 10 minutes. Then, small movements could be seen from one of them. At first it was merely the twitch of a finger, and then it changed to the movement of legs. Karil slowly stood up. “Well, it appears this match is over,” he whispered. Thyker said nothing. Karil wasn’t sure if he was even conscious. “However, you’ve shown yourself to be a decent warrior. You’ve demonstrated great perseverance and cunning. You are not the best, but you certainly have the heart and the ability. Between the amount of skill you have and the perfection you lack, I suspect my abilities would have helped you more than it could have helped almost anyone else. Therefore, I only have one thing left to say to you… I surrender.” Thyker said nothing. “I give you my armor and weapon, equipped with my abilities. Equipped with my spirit. But beware Thyker. I have 5 other brothers. Their armors and spirits have all been claimed by great warriors. Should you cross paths with them, they may challenge you. A great warrior equipped with the spirits of my brothers will be much more challenging than my spirit alone.” And with that, Karil disappeared.
*****
Thyker groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He wasn’t greeted by the view of the roof of the grave. Instead, he saw the early night sky. How long had he been asleep? All day? He hoped it had only been one day. He sat up slowly. His body hurt from his injuries, but the dizziness was gone. That was good. He felt something underneath him. He looked down and felt it. Karil’s armor. That was also good. So had he won? He must have.
“Ahahahhaha.” Thyker jumped. He searched around to find the source of the cackle. Right. The old gravedigger. He still creeped him out. Thyker grabbed the armor and stuck it into his pack. He might find a use for it someday. He hated range though, so he had no intention of wearing it for now.
“Goodbye old man,” Thyker said as he started heading to Mort Myre Swamp. He needed to get back to Canifis. From there he could get home.
“Goodbye young adventurer. May you have luck on your journeys.” Thyker jumped again. That brief moment of sanity from the gravedigger made him seen creepier than normal.
From the shadows, Ansa watched. “Well, Minoxo, it appears my little toy has survived. He may be useful after all. Anyway, that’s enough fun for now. I’m sure his exploits will provide the world even more of the distractions we need. We should take advantage of it and continue my work.” And with that, she disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
*****
Thyker hobbled out of the exit of Mort Myre Swamp and into Canifis. He was starving. He had brought ample food with him, but the ghasts of More Myre Swamp loved to rot the food supplies of anything that traveled through the swamp. On the way to Mort’ton, he had simply dodge nearly all of them. Unfortunately, his injuries prevented him from moving that quickly on the way back, and his entire supply of food had been depleted only a short distance into the swamp. At least the ghasts had more or less left him alone after that, though they would occasionally push him around a little bit.
Even worse than the hunger was what that hunger meant. Humanity was still a fairly long distance away. He would have to stop in Canifis for food. Thyker made his way to the bar. It was a placed that was guaranteed to have food, and was the only place he could be sure that the werewolves would even speak to him.
Upon entering the bar, Thyker sighed. He recognized someone he had once dealt with and would rather avoid. Malak. He and Thyker had once worked together to destroy a vampire enemy of Malak’s… for a reward to Thyker, of course. Despite this, they weren’t exactly on good terms.
“What a surprise to see you here,” Malak said, noticing Thyker. “Last I heard, rumor had it you were heading down to the barrows of Mort’ton.”
“I did. And how did you hear about that?”
“Well, it’s not everyday that someone heads down to that dangerous place. It’s been the talk of the town. But tell me… did you have any luck in retrieving a piece of the armor.”
Thyker hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t sure what he should tell Malak. However, despite being on “bad terms”, they were allies of convenience. He never knew when he would need Malak’s powers again, and if he were caught in a lie, he couldn’t hope for such an alliance to continue. “Yes. I retrieved the mythical armor of Karil.” Thyker went on to open his pack to give Malak a peak at the armor.
Malak grimaced. Or at least Thyker thought he saw him grimace. Did vampires grimace? Either way, it almost seemed like Malak didn’t believe it was possible. Of course, that’s not a surprise; Malak did always seem to underestimate the power of humans. “That’s very impressive,” Malak replied. “So… would you be willing to sell it.”
“Absolutely not, Malak. A set of the Mort’ton brother’s armor is priceless. There’s nothing you could offer that I could want.”
“Nothing, you say? I know you’re not much of a ranger.”
“That’s true, but even as a non-ranger, this armor is a treasure.”
“What if you were to obtain a more… suiting…. piece of armor?”
“…What do you mean, Malak? Get to the point.”
“What if I were to tell you that I knew the owner of another set of Mort’ton armor? More specifically, the set owned by the meleer Verac?”
Thyker was shocked. Had Malak known that was the specific armor he wanted? Or had it just been a guess? Either way, if Malak knew where to obtain this armor… “Ok Malak, you have yourself a deal. If I can get Verac’s mythical armor, then Karil’s will be up for sale. So, where can I find it?”
“The armor has been hidden by its owner for decades. Very few people know of it’s whereabouts; I only know this information because of contacts that I have.”
“So where can I find it?”
“Oh, unfortunately, this may not be simple to obtain. The owner may not easily depart with it. He may ask for a great deal of services in return.”
“So where can I find it?” Thyker said, this time with a hint of frustration in his voice.
Malak paused for a moment then gave his response. “Horacio, Duke of Lumbridge.”
Chapter 6: Council of Oblivion, Plans Revealed
“So you finally decided to come,” said Horacio. “It took you long enough. May I ask, why did the two of you come together?”
The gnome was the first to answer that question. “Well, Godfather here was personally plaguing a patch near Ardgourne. Of course, being so close to the Gnome Village, I was able to sense this. I went there to speak with him and found that he had been away from home for awhile; he said he hadn’t heard about your summons. Anyway, I had recently gotten the message, so I offered to give him a ride on my glider to here.”
“It was an offer I couldn’t refuse,” replied Godfather. The Fairy Godfather. He had made an attempt to assassinate the Fairy Godmother and to take control of Zanaris, the world of the fairies. While it appeared to be working for now, the Fairy Godmother had gone missing; until that loose end was tied up, full control might never be realized. For some reason, the Godfather was obsessed with plaguing crop fields. No one asked why; none of them really cared. For now, attacking the crop fields would weaken the resolve of the citizens of the lands and make the plans of the Council of Oblivion easier to obtain. After their plans were complete, they might need to ask him to stop.
“So, why did you need to talk to us?” questioned the gnome.
Before Horacio could answer, a bat came flying into the window. Everyone in the room knew it wasn’t simply a bat. But why had Malak come? Malak had spoken to Horacio less than a week ago. Furthermore, it was daytime outside. As a member of the nobility, light couldn’t kill Malak, but everyone on the council knew that light significantly weakened his powers; at the very least, he would be quite uncomfortable in it.
The bat transformed into the familiar shape of Malak. “Hello Godfather, Glough. Has Horacio explained the Culinaromancer situation?”
“Not yet,” replied Glough. Glough had once attempted to gain control of the gnomish kingdom through a military coup. However, his plans had been foiled well before they could be executed.
“Then explain it to them Horacio,” said the vampire. “I have good news for you related to it.” So, Horacio went on to explain the situation to the two tiny members of the council.
“Thyker!… You let THYKER near the Culinaromancer!” Glough shouted as the story came to a finish. Glough had undergone an unfortunate encounter with Thyker once, to say the least. They had heard the rant many times. Malak wasn’t in the mood to hear it again.
“Anyway, I have both good and bad news, Horacio,” said Malak, cutting Glough off before he could continue. When he realized he had everyone’s attention, he continued, “I encountered Thyker in Canifis.” He could see Glough wanted to continue his tirade, but Malak kept talking before Glough could start up again. “I managed to get him to go to the ancient barrows of Mort’ton. The plan was to make him believe in the armor… to make him want it. The bad news… somehow he managed to find a set of the mythical Mort’ton brothers’ armor. Karil’s to be exact.”
The others were silent for a moment. The Godfather spoke first. “That’s not possible. The Mort’ton brothers’s armors were all claimed by adventurers decades ago. How could he have possibly found a set there?”
“I don’t know,” said Malak. “But he did. I saw it myself. Still, not all is lost. I was able to determine that he is truly after Verac’s armor. He doesn’t seem too interested in Karil’s armor. He even said he’d be willing to sell it if he could attain Verac’s armor.”
“I don’t understand, though,” said Horacio. “How does this help us?”
“Because he’s on his way here right now to get the Verac’s armor which you have stored in your castle. His having retrieved the Karil armor reduces the control we have over him, but he said he’d be willing to undergo great tasks to obtain Verac’s.”
“But Malak… I don’t have any of the Mort’ton armors… especially not Verac’s.”
“Yes, but Thyker believes you do. That’s all the leverage you need.”
Apparently all this talk of Thyker had gotten to Glough. Unfortunately, Horacio paused too long and Glough found a chance to start his tirade. “Thyker! THYKER! Do you know he’s the one who uncovered my plans. I’d be sitting in jail right now, like a common prisoner, if Malak hadn’t used his Mind Possession to make another gnome think he was me!” Malak smiled. Unlike humans, most gnomes knew their place relative to vampires. Especially vampires of nobility. “Why are we toying with Thyker? Why don’t we just KILL him!?!?!”
“Because,” said Horacia, “ he’s useful to us. If we can revive the Culinarmancer, we can continue our plans more or less where they left off. It will be hard to stage an ‘accidental’ death to the leaders of the world without him. And Thyker has both the means and the will to get what we need. Besides, Glough, have some patience. After we’re done with him, then we can kill him.”
“Besides,” said Godfather, “I’ve had my encounters with him as well. He seemed quite willing to help me in my attempt to rid myself of the Fairy Godmother.”
Horacio heard a knocking at his door. He jumped for a minute, fearing that he had been overheard, but then remembered the spell Ansa had placed on the door. As much as he distrusted her, the spell had worked every time it was tested; nothing from inside the room could be heard outside of it unless spoken directly at the door. Horacio turned directly to the door. “Come in.”
A servant ran in. “Sir, we have some fool at the gates of the castle. He’s been here for hours. He says his name is Evil Dave, and that he’s an emissary come to see you. I know he’s just a fool, but he refuses to leave until we tell you that he’s here.”
So, Evil Dave had arrived. Ansa must be busy if she had sent her ambassador in her place. “Send him in.” The servant looked surprised. That wasn’t unpredictable. Evil Dave had made very few appearances at the castle gates, normally sneaking in through other routes, so few of the castle guards knew about him. The servant went to fulfill his orders.
“I don’t understand why Ansa keeps that weak fool with her,” said Glough.
“Ansa is a power freak,” said Malak. “I suspect she enjoys keeping servants who have absolutely no power compared to her. Still, his weakness has proven very useful for us, has it not?” Everyone nodded their heads. They knew what Malak meant.
Evil Dave walked into the room, unescorted. “I’ve come to deliver a message from Mistress Ansa. She has completed her analysis of the Falador guards. She’s sent me to bring you the report.” Dave pulled out a piece of rolled up parchment. Excellent. While this information wasn’t critical, knowing the vulnerabilities of the strongest town in central Runescape would make things easier.
“Thank you,” said Malak, “it’s always nice to hear from my favorite information broker. Mind possession!” Dave fell into the familiar trance caused by Malak’s mind controlling spell. “Dave, I want you to remember everything you’ve seen and heard over the last month. What has Ansa been doing?”
“Ansa has been observing the troop movements of the troops of Falador.” Malak knew that much already. “Ansa has been to Fremenik recently.” Malak couldn’t care less about barbarian warriors. “Ansa has spent time in the wilderness region.” The wilderness… well, Ansa seemed to have a thrill for watching violence unfold, and that was a common place for such to happen. “Ansa spent large amounts of time in the deepest jungles south of Brimhaven.” Nothing new. From previous ‘reports’, Malak had heard enough to be certain Ansa’s home base must be located somewhere in that jungle. “Ansa took a trip to Mort’ton.” Mort’ton, on the other hand…
“Why was Ansa in Mort’ton?”
“Ansa was in Mort’ton to investigate the situation of the zombified citizens.” Likely a cover story. It was well-known that the citizens had been like that for years. That wouldn’t be new for Ansa, who seemed to know everything. Ansa probably told Evil Dave a lie about her intentions incase he blabbed the information to someone else. Well, in reality, he had, though through no fault of his own.
“Mind released,” said Malak. Dave shook his head and snapped back to his old self. “You can leave now Dave, unless you have any other information for us.”
“I do not. I will take my leave then.” Dave left through the door he had come in from. Mort’ton… could that be how Thyker…
“Ansa’s up to something…” said Glough.
“I know,” said Horacio. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. She’s doing what we need her to do. In that regard, she’s like Thyker. We’ll use her for as long as we can then destroy her afterwards. For now, we need to continue moving along with our plans. The destruction of the Culinaromancer will give us a little more time to coordinate, but we need to move quickly. Godfather, are the magical weapons ready?”
“I’ve completed a decent portion of them, but there are still more to be completed. Still, I suspect what I have now should be enough.”
“Good,” said Horacio. “Transport as many as you can to Glough’s base. Glough will need time to upfit the weaponry to his gliders. Malak, I assume your undead legions are prepared as well?”
“The undead have nothing to wait for. They are always ready.”
“Excellent. Then all we have to do is wait for the Culinaromancer to carry out his assassinations. When that happens, the world will be plunged into chaos and we will be there to seize it. Finally, I will rule over more than some small, newbish town with nothing of importance in it.”
“And I will control all of the western world, especially all gnomes,” said Glough.
“And we’ll finally have enough humans to pay large blood tithes to the vampires,” said Malak.
“And I can assume complete control over all of the fairy world,” said Godfather.
“And now all we have to do is wait for Thyker to get the ingredients…”
*****
A few days later, Thyker arrived in Lumbridge. He had made a detour through Al Kharid and to the Dueling Arena, where the nurses had completed recovered his health. “Well, I’d say it’s time to talk to the duke.”
Chapter 7: His Name Was Marik
Thyker made his way to the entrance to Lumbridge castle. He was quite familiar with the area; his first memories all focused on Lumbridge. Talking to Bob, the axe seller. Studying prayer at the church. Killing goblins while being called a newbert… whatever that was. Thyker shook his head. Not the time to daydream. Thyker knocked on the gate. Eyes appeared through a small slit in the door. “Who are you?”
“My name is Thyker. I’d like to talk to Duke Horacio.”
The gate slid opened and Thyker was escorted in. The guard who had let him in continued, “You may enter the castle…however, I’m afraid that only guests with appointments may talk to the duke. Your name does not appear on any list I have.”
“But I’ve saved his life!… several times!”
“I truly am sorry. I’d make an exception if I could, but those are the rules I’m told to follow…”
Thyker was unsure what to do next. There didn’t seem many good options. He could bribe the guard. Or maybe sneak in? Or maybe just beat up the guard and walk in… guards didn’t seem to be all that tough nowadays. He saw people killing them at the gates of Varrock all the time. “Wait!” shouted a voice. Thyker looked around. He knew he had heard the voice before. But where?…
Then suddenly Thyker remembered the voice from his past. “Oh no…” groaned Thyker. “Anyone but him…” But as the man turned the corner, Thyker’s hopes were dashed. It was the cook of Lumbridge castle. An incompetent cook who couldn’t even gather his own ingredients, and who had made a meal once that had plunged Thyker into a fight to the death against an evil food-ghost who wanted to kill a group of leaders. The Culinaromancer, a relative of the cook’s (though the cook himself did not realize this).
“Wait! I know him! Let him in!” The cook took a moment to catch his breath. “Hi Thyker! It’s great see you again. You said you would come and visit.”
“Um, yeah… I’ve been busy.” Great, now he would expect regular visits. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I kind of need to talk to Horacio.”
“Oh, some new mission? Slaying a dragon? Saving a town? Baking a big pie?”
“Um… something like that. First I have to GET to Horacio, though. Unfortunately, I’m not on the waiting list.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Guard, let him through! See, I’m of significantly higher rank than the guard. I can take you to Horacio myself.”
“Thanks…” said Thyker as he followed the cook. The cook was of a higher rank than the guard to the castle’s main entrance? Well, that was a comforting thought…. sort of. Anyway, no reason to complain. Thyker had gotten what he wanted. An audience with Duke Horacio.
The cook walked into Horacio’s room without even knocking. Luckily, nobody but himself was there at the time. “Duke Horacio!” The duke jumped, startled. “I believe you remember Thyker?”
Horacio turned around to face Thyker. Thyker was surprised to see he was smiling vividly… he would have expected a grumpier expression after such an entrance. “Ah, yes, the one who saved us all from the Culinaromancer. To what do I owe the honor?”
“Duke Horacio, I’ve come to hear that you are the sole processor of Verac’s mythical armor.”
“Hmmm… however did you hear such a thing? I do possess it, but I told no one.” Thyker was somewhat surprised that Horacio didn’t even try to deny the claim. “It’s been stored in the castle vaults for years. I can’t think of the last time it’s been used.”
“Sir, as you recall, I have on several occasions saved this castle from danger. As a reward, I request that you award me Verac’s armor.”
Horacio paused for a moment. “You do realize how valuable that armor is, right?”
“I do, sir. I would be willing to undergo further tasks as compensation.”
Horacio smiled again. “Funny you should ask that. As you know, the Culinaromancer destroyed the last banquet which I held for the world’s major leaders. Unfortunately, such an attack has created bad feelings among the group. I would like to fix that with a new banquet. One so grand that they will forget about the old one.”
“Let me guess… you’d like me to obtain the ingredients for your banquet.”
“Why, how did you know?”
“Meh, it seems to be a pattern at this castle. Anyway, I accept your offer.”
“Excellent,” said Horacio. “I’ve already compiled a list of the remaining ingredients that are needed. They may not be simple to obtain, but I do wish you would move quickly; the longer this waits, the worse the feelings between the leaders will become.” Thyker grabbed the list. He then sighed. This was longer than the usual 3-item list he was accustomed to from Lumbridge castle. Not to mention, he had never heard of most of these ingredients.
“And I can cook the grand meal while he gathers the ingredients!” shouted the cook. Horacio put forth an expression of pure terror. Thyker didn’t blame him. He had tasted the cook’s food. The cook didn’t seem to notice Horacio’s reaction, however.
“Oh, I’m afraid that’s not possible, Marik. See, for years, I’ve been admiring your reflexes and think you would be suited as a fighter. Thyker, as part of our deal, I would like you to take Marik along with you. I’m sure he will be a great asset, and he will get great training in the process. Besides,” Horacio snickered, “he can cook all your meals.”
Thyker shook with fear. This would undoubtedly complicate things. He wanted to protest… but no. Verac’s armor was worth absolutely anything… it was even just barely worth going through this.
“By the way,” Thyker asked, “these ingredients are very strange. Where ever am I supposed to find them?”
“How should I know?” replied Horacio. “That’s part of your job.”
Thyker left the castle… unfortunately, Marik the Cook still continued to trail behind him. So his name was Marik? He realized he had never heard the cook’s name before. Hee hee… it was a funny name.
“So, where are we going first?” Marik asked.
“I don’t know where we’re supposed to find these ingredients,” Thyker replied.
“Well, if you don’t know, how are we supposed to find them?”
“Well, I myself may not know. But I know someone with eyes and ears all over the world. If anybody knows, he does. That’s why we’re heading to Falador.”
*****
Ansa stepped into the town of Burthorpe. Unfortunately, her magics only allowed her to teleport to specific regions of the world. While she could teleport anywhere within that region, and not merely to a specific point, that was all useless if the region wasn’t within her powers. Burthorpe was one such region. The walk hadn’t been long, but Ansa didn’t like walking at all. It was wasted time. Still, she had come to this town for a reason. She had good informants. They had promised her good results here.
Ansa made her way through the town. After talking to a few people, she was able to determine where her target was. She moved towards the northeastern part of the town. There it was. Her target. The blacksmith’s house.
Too impatient to knock, Ansa blasted open the door with one of her weaker spells. As she walked in the door, she noticed the blacksmith seemed a little surprised but not in terror. That was to be expected. Blacksmith’s often saw a lot of strange warriors.
“I hear you have a mighty fine collection of talismans,” she asked.
“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t,” replied the blacksmith.
“Don’t play games with me… I have good informants.”
“Ok, fine, then yes I do. What do you want?”
“Give me all of them.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2, POST 29
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